


Iris Gems

by SilverKitsune



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Chapter 9 contains That One Berseria Spoiler, M/M, each chapter is unconnected, please heed the warnings in the notes for every chapter, this is just a massive drabble dump from my tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2018-11-20 02:48:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11327100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverKitsune/pseuds/SilverKitsune
Summary: A collection of drabbles posted on my Tumblr of varying lengths.  Please heed the warnings in the summary of each drabble as they're all unconnected separate stories.  Rating for each drabble varies, but the overall rating is based on the graphical violence in one of the chapters.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> No warnings for this first drabble, just a short romantic scene I wrote with anime canon in mind, in response to an ask about the S2 OP and the possibility of a soymilk romantic snow scene.

It’s late by the time Sorey gets a moment to pull away from the merriment inside. It’s not the first time Mikleo’s been left waiting - it’s something of an understanding they had reached, that it was best if he stood aside when normal humans are around. Alisha and Rose may have been understanding that Sorey’s status as a Shepherd meant he could interact with Seraphim, but other people weren’t so understanding - no point in making them think their savior was insane in addition to his fear inducing powers. Every once in a while, though, Sorey thinks, it’s not always a bad thing.

Because Mikleo is standing there on the balcony, elbows leaning against the railing, gently silhouetted against the soft lamps settled into the balcony. Snow falls gently all around him, but never on him. A gentle breeze ruffles his silver blue hair, his twin capes fluttering in time with the breeze. Sorey’s breath hitches, and a quick glance backwards is all he needs to know that no one is paying attention to him for the moment. He quickly latches the door shut (no point in bringing unwanted visitors), and hugs Mikleo from behind.

“Miss me?”

A gentle hum and Mikleo leaning back into the hug is his only answer, and they stand in silence, watching the snow fall onto the city below.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another short scene with anime canon in mind, this time, just a short rewrite of Sorey's training sessions from the anime. No spoilers.

“Uwaa!”  The magic collided spectacularly all around him, and the force of the explosion knocked him back down into the pond as water misted down all around him, thoroughly soaking his clothes.  The sound of a parasol opening nearby reached his ears, and at Edna’s “Still got a long way to go”, he sighed.

“Owww,” he muttered as he rubbed the spot where his tailbone had perfectly hit a rock from his rough landing.  Still, he couldn’t afford to get discouraged this quickly.  He had taken the first step in making his dream a reality, and it was way too early to give up.

Turning around to face Lailah’s cheerful smile and Mikleo’s exasperated (but encouraging) smirk, he scratched the back of his head as he asked, “Sorry, that was my bad … could we try again?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now for a change in pace! This one is a post-game Tainted AU, featuring Dragon!Soymilk, with the premise being Mikleo falling and turning into a dragon in the intervening centuries Sorey was sleeping to purify the land.

He looked up into the night sky, once a source of comfort, now just another thing to feed the gnawing ache inside.  Beside him, he could feel the others shifting restlessly, even as Lailah’s latest Shepherd put up a shield of false bravado.

But it didn’t matter.

All that mattered was the dark form silhouetted against the full moon that gracefully landed in the valley below.  Moonlight reflected off scales the color of the deepest oceans, as wings with membranes the color of the whitest foam were neatly tucked in.  They were safe, for now, far enough from the dragon’s domain to avoid detection.

Sorey’s heart ached, even as he asked, “Lailah, what happened?”

“I’m sorry, Sorey, I really am.  But the years became too much for him, and no matter what we did, no matter how hard we tried,” her voice started breaking at the end, and she had to pause before she completely broke down, but to no avail.  “I’m sorry, Sorey,” she sobbed.

The ache in his heart grew ( _if only he hadn’t take so long_ ) – there was no mistaking the coloration and the grace with which the dragon moved.  Even harder to mistake how the swirl of gold around the dragon’s forehead resembled the circlet _he_ always wore.  Harder still to ignore the swirls and curlicues of black on the dragon’s back that resembled the white pattern on _his_ cape.

“Lailah, break the pact.  I appreciate you helping me get here, but break it before I make things worse – both for you and your Shepherd.”

Edna’s eyes grew wide with shock, “Sorey, what are you-”

Even as the guilt continued to gnaw away at him from the inside ( _could he have done something to make the process go by faster?_ ), he quietly stated, “I’m staying here, one way or another.  I don’t want to drag the rest of you down with me.”

“Just wait a minute and think-”

“There’s nothing to think about, Zaveid.  Ask Lailah.  I only had one true goal in mind when I became the Shepherd in Ladylake.  That still hasn’t changed.”

Feeling the pact break away made the gnawing feeling that much worse, and even as he accepted what was coming, he turned back to his former friends to give them one final smile.

“Just remember, we’ll be here, waiting.  Waiting at the place that started it all.  So when you’re ready, you know where to find us.”

The last thing Lailah, Edna, and Zaveid saw of him was the flutter of a black and gold cape over the edge of the cliff.

Moments later, a pair of roars echoed in the valley as a black and red dragon took off into the night sky for the other far below.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A two parter this time, featuring Major Character Death and Graphic Descriptions of Violence (especially in the second one - Mikleo gets gory in his Roaring Rampage of Revenge) in both of them. I had reblogged a "which was worse" ask meme, and someone asked me whether "Sorey reacting to Mikleo's death" or "Mikleo reacting to Sorey's death" would be worse. I (un)predictably Chose A Third Option and drabbled both out. Get tissues. You'll be needing them. And yes, both of these drabbles are meant to tie-in with the canonical Bad End.

**Drabble 1: Sorey’s reaction to Mikleo’s death**

This, Sorey was quickly beginning to realize, had been a terrible mistake.  He rolled to the side as Landon’s enormous sword came crashing down to avoid the killing blow.  The impact from the sword sent rock shards flying everywhere, and Sorey had to suppress a wince when he felt a few leave cuts along his cheek.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mikleo leap back a few steps, opening some distance to begin casting a spell.

Landon shifted his attention to Mikleo, and Sorey leaped forward, slashing his sword for a quick Tiger blade before planting his feet for a Trihawk and leaping up to bring his sword crashing down for a Starfall.

“You nuisance!” Landon turned, swinging his sword, barely missing Sorey with the edge of a side swipe.  Icicles lanced through the air, and Landon slashed his sword through the air, destroying the missiles in flight.  “That’s it, you’re dead!”

Rolling back up to his feet, Sorey shook his head to clear it, and looked up in time to see Landon charging at Mikleo.  “Luzrov Rulay!”

Taking up their bow, they immediately took the opportunity to fire a few shots, but Landon simply shrugged them off.

_Sorey, our attacks aren’t working; break the armatus, I’ll back you up._

“Okay.”

They split, and Sorey immediately took the initiative to begin his attack once more, but Landon’s sword gave him a longer reach, and Sorey had to abort his attack to get out of range – but not quickly enough. Taking the full force of the blow, he was sent tumbling to the side as Landon raised his two-handed sword over his head for a killing blow.

Except it never came, and a pained cry reached Sorey’s ears as he was shoved aside.

Mikleo had bodily blocked the blow, a gash deep in his side,  stained a deep purple, even as his eyes began to glaze over.  Vaguely, Sorey thought he could hear Landon laughing, gloating over his victory, and the sound of someone telling him to stop.

But none of that mattered.  What mattered was that Mikleo was weakly reaching out for him, his hands covered with his own blood.

Blood that wouldn’t stop flowing.

He rushed over, taking those rapidly cooling hands into his own, holding them up to his cheek, ignoring the bloody smears they left on his skin.

“No, no, no, no, Mikleo, no,” he chanted even while he cradled Mikleo in his arms.

“I’m … sorry,” Mikleo replied, even as he gave a weak smile.  “But at least you’re okay.”

“No, don’t speak, save your strength, come back inside, I’ll-”  His voice crumbled as his tears overflowed, splashing down onto rapidly paling cheeks below him.

“It’s too late … I-”

In an instant, the body in his arms dissipated, leaving a skyward trail of bright blue sparkling light.  Sorey crumpled down onto himself, tears freely streaming down his face, grief and guilt swallowing him whole even as his anger and fury bubbled over.

“Wait, Sorey no!”

His head snapped up, his attention purely focused on one and only one goal: revenge.  Three leaps and a Starfall was all it took for Sorey to get into range, and unleash his assault.  A quick Striking Fang at close range broke Landon’s guard, and Sorey began his assault in earnest – focusing all of his strength into his sword, he charged, first a Sonic Thrust, Crimson Edge, Raging Winds, before unleashing his full power.

“It’s time to end this!  Howling blade, Bolt Tempest!”

He landed, not even looking back at the corpse behind him, and fell to his knees, dropping his sword as he stared down at his hands.  At the blood that still stained them.  Next to him, Lailah and Edna appeared, scales rippling across their features, but he paid them no heed.

Not when his reason for everything was gone.

“Hey, Mikleo, I got him.  I got him for you,” he brokenly whispered into the air.  “So come back to me, won’t you?”

His only answer was the sound of rain starting to fall across the empty battlefield.

Centuries later, historians would write of Glenwood as the lost continent that was destroyed first by a fallen Shepherd and his dragons, only for an even greater and more ancient power to take over, corrupting the continent, leaving it a malevolent wasteland for millennia to come.

* * *

**Drabble 2: Mikleo’s reaction to Sorey’s death:**

The moment Heldalf’s attack hit, Mikleo knew something was wrong.  He, along with Edna and Lailah, were bodily thrown out of Sorey, and no matter how loudly he shouted, how much he warned Sorey, Sorey didn’t respond.  It was like he didn’t exist.  Still, he had to protect Sorey, and he took advantage of their focus on him to cast a few artes to thin out the enemy numbers.

Not that it mattered, not when there were so many soldiers.

One closed in on Sorey, and attacked with a heavy two handed strike he barely blocked.  Mikleo rushed to assist, but a flash of brown beat him there, stopping the hellionized soldier with a fatal stab to the neck.  But the safety was only momentary, and when Sorey collapsed, the assassin hoisted him up onto her soldiers to rush off the cliff for the river … presumably to safety.

She leapt, and an enemy soldier threw his lance, and before Mikleo could do anything to stop it, it hit its target.  Two bodies began to fall, but Mikleo rushed over the edge of the cliff, calling on his artes to catch the one that mattered.  Quickly, he manipulated them over to the riverbank, and began casting Resilient Aid.

And again.

And again.

“Mikleo-”

“No, I just … I just need to try harder,” he continued casting it, over and over, even as he could barely recite the words and see Sorey’s face through the tears, until he exhausted himself.  He reached out, hoping to touch Sorey’s face on last time – this was an eventuality he had prepared for, even if this happened sooner than his worst nightmares suggested.

And his hand simply passed through.

In that moment, something inside of him broke, and he glared up at the edge of the cliff.  Yes, that’s where his target would be.

“Lailah, take care of the body.”

Lailah said something in reply, but he ignored it and created a staircase of pure crystalline ice to climb his way back up to the top. Hellionized soldiers awaited him, but it didn’t matter.  A few soldiers in blue threw their lances his way, but a carefully timed swipe from his staff blocked the incoming blows, and he settled into a combat stance.

Taking advantage of the distance between him and the enemies, he called ice to his side, “Howling deluge, Freeze Lancer!”

Icicles rushed out, seeking out soldier after soldier, arcing to hit the most vulnerable places in their armor.  Blood sprayed through the air and onto the ground as wave after wave of icicles flew out.  Each death did little to relieve the all consuming pain in his heart, and the ever growing darkness within.

He knelt, and leapt, staff at the ready, not even noticing when blue-white wings ripped through the back of his tunic, helping him gain speed to attack his first enemy – his staff struck the helmet with a loud clang as it dented, crushing the skull within.  Blood and brains poured out from beneath the helmet as he landed with a crouch, ready to face his next opponent.

A sword strike came down on his left, and he raised his staff to parry the blow, using the force of the attack to roll to the left to begin an assault on the soldier’s open flank.  A quick Rending Torrent followed by a Rising Geyser left the soldier wide open for a Twin Flow, and the sheer force of the spell knocked the soldier into the others behind him.  Something – he wasn’t sure what, was wrong with his hands, they were no longer grasping his staff properly, and he threw them aside, and upon seeing the claws, he grinned, pouncing on the next soldier, savagely tearing them to shreds one after another, each kill leading him to find the next – they were all responsible for what happened to Sorey, after all.  And they all had to pay for it.

All of them.

The last soldier fell, and he raised his head up to the skies, crying out in pain and grief as a torrential downpour started to come down.  He turned, and looked, reaching out across his domain to find the one responsible for it all.

Finding that dark spot of malevolence, he took to the skies, using the clouds to cover his presence, until he had Heldalf in his sights.  Swooping down, he opened his jaws, tongue relishing in the hot blood that sprayed in his mouth as he crushed the Lord of Calamity, shaking him from side to side like a rag doll before throwing him into the air.

Calling up one last ice shard, he sent it through the air, spearing Heldalf through as he fell to the ground.

For centuries, historians would write of the dragon inhabiting Glaivend Basin and how it enforced a period of uneasy peace between Hyland and Rolance.  That is, until a greater, more ancient power awoke, slaying the dragon, and condemning the continent of Glenwood to a malevolent wasteland.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More from the Make Me Choose ask meme that spawned the previous pair of drabbles, although I only did one half of "catboy Mikleo or boyfriend shirt Mikleo". No warnings.

Rose knocked on the door as she headed down the stairs for breakfast.  Lailah and Edna accompanied her, and Dezel had joined them in the hallway, clearly ready for some food after a night out stargazing on the roof.  Oddly enough, nobody answered, and when she picked Dezel’s pocket for the spare key for the room, she didn’t think twice about opening the door.

“Uh Rose, you might not-”

Only to be met by the vision of a very sleepy (and yawning) Mikleo sitting upright in bed, wearing Sorey’s (oversized, on him, anyway) blue overshirt (and possibly not much else), with a still asleep (shirtless) Sorey right next to him.  In the same bed.

“want to open that,” Lailah finished.

For a moment, Mikleo’s stunned gaze met Rose’s, mere seconds before he blushed a bright beet red and dove under the covers.

“Um, we’ll wait for you downstairs,” Rose awkwardly said as she reached to shut the door.

“Don’t wait too long, _Blushyleo_ , or there won’t be any breakfast left for you!” Edna called as they continued to trek down to the dining commons.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last of the Make Me Choose ask meme answers, this time romantic soymilk kiss under a starry sky or funny soymilk tickle fight in an onsen.

**Drabble 1:**

Sorey stepped out of the inn, and headed to the town gates - it wasn’t far, and Goddodin was up on a hill, that was largely clear of hellions.  Ekseo’s words echoed in his head, and part of him had to wonder if that could be a possibility for himself - it would certainly mean he’d never have to leave Mikleo.

To his surprise, he found Mikleo lying on the grass outside, arms tucked behind in a makeshift pillow of sorts as he looked up at the full moon and stars.  Soft moonlight made him positively glow a silvery blue white, and a soft smile - one that was reserved just for him, Sorey realized - graced his lips.  Sparkling violet eyes flicked over to acknowledge his presence, and he sat up, turning to face Sorey fully.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

“Not really,” he replied as he sat down next to Mikleo, their legs brushing against each other.  “So much happened today.”

“Hmmmm.”

“And what Ekseo said earlier, I-”

“Don’t,” Mikleo interrupted.  “It’s-” he sighed, before continuing, his expression unreadable, “There’s no guarantees of it happening.”

“But if there were?”

“Even so,” he answered, his voice shaking, “you wouldn’t remember.”

Sorey turned then, pulling the slight body tight against his, before murmuring, “There’s no way I could ever forget you.”  He pulled back, just enough to look into those precious violet eyes.  “Ever.”

And Mikleo pulled him in for a kiss then and there, needy and desperate all at once, and Sorey answered in kind, as though to reassure him that he was still there.  That no matter what happened, he’d still be there, human mortality be damned.

Centuries later, when they finally reunite, their first kiss was under another moonlit starry sky.

* * *

**Drabble 2**

Sorey glanced over to his side, where Mikleo was completely relaxed in the sauna, a towel on his head, eyes closed and cheeks flushed from the heat.  It was clear he was relishing being surrounded by his element, and was more than happy to let the warmth of the water take away the aches of the traveling and fighting on the road.

Of course, Sorey noted as he took a side glance, where there was a completely relaxed Mikleo, that meant there were some sides that were ripe for tickling.

Slowly, he inched closer.

And closer.

Aaaand … there!  Sorey dove in on the sides, ignoring Mikleo’s indignant squawk as expanses of pale skin were under attack by seeking fingers, and while Sorey’s larger frame should have guaranteed him victory, he’d forgotten that they were also in an onsen.  Surrounded by Mikleo’s element, no less.

A quick twist and a dive, and Mikleo had freed himself from the tickle torture, and was all too ready to counter attack with water sprays, and soon, Sorey was dodging left and right, trying to get in close enough for another attack while Mikleo kept dodging around the water.  Still, Sorey managed to herd Mikleo toward a quiet secluded corner of the pool, and leaned in close.

“So, got any other tricky ideas?”

“Just one.”  And when Mikleo pulled him in for a kiss, Sorey didn’t bother fighting back.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time, it's a short drabble inspired by the Agents of SHIELD Season 4 finale, because I've been trying to get past a terrible bit of writer's block where I know exactly what I want to write but the words are refusing to work with me. Just a short scene rewrite of the one with Coulson and May in the corridor, but with Sorey and Mikleo instead. Think of it as more or less the Zestiria party as the equivalent of the core main character ensemble in AoS, where the Seraphim are the equivalent of Inhumans and the humans are, um, human, lol. Also, they haven't actually hooked up yet in this drabble, hence the bit of slow burn-style romantic awkwardness haha. And yes, if some of the dialogue seems familiar, it's because it is paraphrased from the episode itself.

Sorey looped the bag containing the artifact book over his head, both hands on his gun as he stalked down the hallways with Mikleo. The debris of the assault on what had been their home base was painful to look at – over the past few years it had become as much their home as it had been their central base of operations. And even though he was sure the Life Model Decoys that had wrought so much destruction on their home before were long gone and destroyed, it still pained him to look through the rubble and wonder just how many people had lost their lives.

All because of one rogue android who wanted to become human.

He swallowed down his nervousness, and pushed himself to keep moving – there was no point in spending time on regrets and actions that had already been taken; even if they hadn't found Mikleo in that abandoned warehouse, they did, at least, manage to rescue Eguille who had been the face of their organization. And if Rose's reaction afterward had been anything to go by, it had, at least, been worth it.

But a small part of him had to wonder whether the destruction their Life Model Decoys had wrought upon the base made it worthwhile. He was _supposed_ to be a leader, even if it was in all but title, and an experienced agent at that. He should have seen the trap coming.

Mikleo cleared his throat at that moment, pulling Sorey out of his darker thoughts as they came to a stop at a fork in the corridor. “So, uh, what happened while I was gone? Nothing weird happened with that Life Model Decoy of me, right?”

“Um, uh, well,” Sorey awkwardly stammered, stalling for time. To be honest, Artorius done such a good job of programming that Life Model Decoy, Sorey had had a hard time telling the difference between the Decoy and the real Mikleo. Which he was certainly _not_ about to admit.

“. . . you _did_ realize it was a fake of me, right?” Mikleo deadpanned, giving Sorey a Look. “I mean, you, of all people, should have realized something was wrong, right? That I wasn't acting entirely like myself?”

Sorey awkwardly chuckled in response. Was it too much to hope that Mikleo wouldn't catch on? Then again, given how the day had gone, he knew that would have been asking for too much.

Realization dawned on Mikleo's face. “Oh my god, Sorey, we _only_ grew up together and went through The Academy together. I, I can't believe I'm hearing this,” Mikleo paused, waving a hand in Sorey's direction, all concentration on the mission at hand gone. “At least tell me you didn't break out that bottle of whiskey we'd been saving for a special occasion.”

“Uh, about that, I _might_ have opened it and drank it with the LMD as a celebration. To new beginnings and all that,” Sorey paused, catching a glimpse of Mikleo's exasperated expression out of the corner of his eye. “To be fair, I'm not sure now how much of that was actually something you wanted and how much of that was Artorius's programming. He really did do a good job of programming that LMD; it seemed so _real_.”

Yes, so real that Sorey _might_ have been more than a little enchanted with how the LMD had looked in the warm yellow lights of the lounge as they shared the bottle of whiskey, with the way the light gave Mikleo's silver-blue hair golden highlights and the way his eyes sparkled with mirth as the celebrated their victory from their previous mission. Although he had to wonder how he'd ever accepted the fake for the real thing now that Mikleo was standing here next to him.

Mikleo gave him a mild glare. “Sorey, you're unbelievable,” Mikleo replied with a sigh. He straightened his posture, wrapping an arm around himself. It was clear even though Mikleo hadn't seen or known what his LMD had done, he could hazard a guess. “But maybe some of that was real.”

Sorey stopped, and turned to look at Mikleo, mulling over those words even while noting how Mikleo was averting his gaze. But even though those words gave him hope, he had to wonder just how much was real and how much was just programming meant to lure him into a false sense of security. And he hardly wanted to push for something more if some of it was built on false pretenses, even if they _were_ the fault of an android replica.

“Maybe, after this is all over, we should take a few steps back,” Sorey cautiously suggested. “See where things go. And maybe, if it ever feels like the right time again, we open another bottle.” He held out his fist, smile on his face. “Who knows? Maybe we'll have found something else worth saving for sharing after another rough day on the job.”

Mikleo looked up, with a smile on his face, bumping his fist with Sorey's as they did their secret handshake. “Yeah, but isn't it _always_ a rough day considering our job?” he answered with a laugh. “C'mon, let's get going. Innominat isn't going to wait for us forever, so let's save the world while we still have a chance. I'll see you on the other side.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because clearly I need to drabble yet another fic of them getting interrupted. Poor maid, she just wanted to make sure the Shepherd's room is properly tended to! No major warnings on this one, just a some allusions to nsfw activities.

It had taken the group several days of hard travel to reach Lohgrin, and then another week of non-stop ruins exploration and hellion purification to find the Iris Gems Mayvin had suggested they look for.  Their collection was nearly complete, but still, even Sorey had to agree it was time for a proper break when even he and Mikleo couldn’t keep the architecture of their favorite eras straight between them.

Which was how they ended up in Lastonbell for a proper night’s rest for once (as Edna put it).  A good soak in the hot springs did wonders for battle induced aches and pains that on the fly warm compresses and ice couldn’t fix, and no one was going to turn down being able to sleep in a proper bed instead of the hard sandy ground.

The best part, of course, was that their recent hellion purification spree left them with a small excess of gald, so no one batted an eyelash when Sorey requested 3 rooms from the innkeeper.

Except, maybe for the innkeeper, who quirked an eyebrow at Sorey’s request after he insisted that the innkeeper didn’t need to hang onto the key for the mystery third person in the party.  And the innkeeper _definitely_ didn’t rub their eyes and blink out of sheer disbelief when Sorey nonchalantly handed the third key to Zaveid before half-dragging Mikleo up the stairs with an excited cry of “Let’s drop off our stuff and hit the hot springs Mikleo!”.

And Rose definitely did not share a look with Zaveid before turning to ask Edna to make sure the girls got the room as far away from the boys’ as possible.

Not that any of it mattered as far as Mikleo was concerned.  A relaxing afternoon in the springs, away from the threats of loss of life and/or limb with Sorey was a rarity these days, and he was willing to take any reprieve from that that was granted to them.  And if Sorey seemed a little overeager and was more than happy to drag both of them back into their room earlier than usual with the excuse of “we’re tired, so we’re going to bed early” delivered with his usual chipper attitude, Mikleo was definitely not going to argue.

Not when it had been nearly a week since either of them had a private moment together.  By mutual unspoken agreement, the tent-inn in Lohgrin was hardly a proper place for any sort of _private_ activities.  Especially since it was impossible to keep the sand from getting into _everything_ , and neither of them were interested in finding out just sand felt like when it got into, say, _interesting_ places.

Which is why Mikleo really shouldn’t have been surprised when he heard the door open, and a voice say, “Excuse me, I’m coming in to turn … down … the- Eek!  I’m so sorry, Lord Shepherd, I didn’t think you would be in here!”

He sighed, trying very hard to ignore the feeling of Sorey’s hand down _there_ and the wonderful things it had been doing before they’d gotten interrupted.  “Did you remember to lock the door?”

Sorey sheepishly laughed, scratching the back of his head.  “Oops?”

Mikleo made a face, before retreating inside.  _You can go deal with the maid._

“But Mikleoooooooo~”

_No.  I keep on telling you to get into the habit of locking the door, and the one time I forget to remind you what happens?_

“I’m sorry, Mikleo!  Really!  What can I do to make it up to you?  Please?”

“I see that I interrupted something private,” the maid evenly said, as she tried to make sense of the half of the conversation she was hearing.  “I’ll see to it you’re undisturbed for the rest of the evening.”

She turned to leave, even as Sorey’s answering cries of “No, wait, this isn’t what you think it is!  Okay, maybe it sort of is-” were cut off by the closing door.  As far as she was concerned, the Shepherd was a young man, and clearly he had, uh, _personal_ needs that needed to be taken care of, just like any other young man.  Making a mental note to make sure those sheets got put in with the rest of the “honeymooning couple” sheets due for an extra thorough cleaning the next day, she headed back down the stairs to put a Do Not Disturb note on the inn’s log books for the Shepherd’s room for the rest of the evening.


	9. Despair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skip this chapter if you haven't completed Tales of Berseria yet. This drabble absolutely spoils for the post game epilogue. Got the inspiration to write this as I was talking to a friend about how Berseria and Zestiria tied together, and he suggested the notion that there might be a reason for why Heldalf was such an absentee villain and why his goals are what they are and that the explanation was in Berseria - we just had to put the pieces together.

The curse hit with a force stronger than he'd ever felt in his long life. He fought back against it, fought against the seeping darkness with willpower the only way he knew how. Fought back, so he could keep this precious world, a world where trusted comrades and companions once traveled and lived and loved, safe.

A world that, even now, Velvet continued to keep safe, sealed away in a never ending dream.

But he also knew – the last Shepherd in this slowly wasting land had also fallen here in every sense of the word, and there would be no silver flame of salvation for himself. He reached out with his senses, searching for someone, anyone, who might serve as a pure vessel for him, but all he could sense were the dead all around him, their souls twisting in the malevolence the massacre and he himself created.

Yet, in his despair, he could feel it – a man who now generated as much malevolence as Velvet once had – and a plan quickly formulated in his mind. It would be regrettable to lose all the progress and advances humanity had made under his watch. But humanity, he'd learned, was resilient. Eleanor and the passage of time had taught him that. Progress lost was easily regained, even if it took centuries to get there.

He just had to wake  _him_ up. And the only surefire way he knew how was to cloak the world in malevolence. He only hoped humanity and Velvet would understand.

And if this plan worked, well, at least he'd get the chance to see her again for the first time in well over a millennia

 


End file.
